NO doubt the players of Division One champions Higher Folds have been warned time and again this season by management team Dave Burns and Sean Collier that they were pushing their luck and sooner or later they would come unstuck.

The top division title favourites have on several occasions this term allowed the opposition to take the lead with the Folds players appearing to delight in battling back late for victory.

Tempting fate in such audacious fashion is a risky business at the best of times and the worst fears of the management duo became reality on Saturday in a 3-2 defeat at Britannia.

By the interval the home side had clocked up a two-goal advantage through Ian McKinnon's sixth minute strike and Mark Broli's ninth of the season just after the half hour mark.

For Folds, chasing a two-goal deficit has become a bit of a party-piece but crucially within two minutes of the resumption Jason Hardman got a third for Britannia.

The customary fight back began but after goals by Paul Forshaw and Steven Ashbrook time ran out on Folds and they tasted defeat for the first occasion this season.

They still lead the able by one point with a game in hand but it could, and no doubt Burns and Collier will say should, have been four. All credit to Britannia for a sparkling win. Royal Oak stay second after a 5-1 home win over Courts A. Lee Cambray led the way with four and Darren Lee pitched in with one. Dave Dooley was the scorer for the losers.

Mark Saunders' 72nd minute strike earned Three Crowns A a 2-1 win at Union Arms to keep his side in third spot. Earlier Stuart Welsh had scored on six minutes for Crowns with Mark Howarth levelling for Union three minutes before the break.

Two games finished in stalemate with Leigh Sportsmen at home to Limelight tied at 3-3 and Leigh Avenue and Astley Villa sharing the spoils at 2-2. Steve Anderton registered a hat-trick in Moonraker's 6-2 win at Church Inn.

In the Sharman Cup round one, the clash between Sir Charles Napier and Asda Golborne needed penalties to decide a winner with the latter going through by a 4-3 margin. Phil Rothwell netted four and Matt Disley three in Courts B's 7-1 win over Mechanics Arms.

In round two Atherton C&N look well set for a league and cup double after easily clipping off Horns Inn with a 8-0 victory. Local rivals Hag Fold WMC also netted eight, including a John Clarke hat-trick, in a 8-1 win over Three Crowns B. Clarke blotted his copy book slightly after his triple strike by firing past his own keeper for the visitors consolation goal! On Tuesday night the League's representative side got off to a cracking start in the North West Inter League Alliance with a 2-1 away win over the Warrington League.

A cracking game played at Victoria Park, Warrington saw the hosts deservedly take the lead in the first half. Leigh never looked back after the break with Royal Oak's Paul Gibbons levelling on 53 minutes and Higher Folds' Mick Blakeley producing a magical curling free kick into the top corner which was a worthy winner of a quality game.

That three point start sees Leigh heading Group One which also contains St Helens and Blackburn with Group Two consisting of Rochdale, Preston, Wigan and South East Lancs.